IND vs SA Second Test: India Suffer Batting Collapse After Mohammed Siraj Special As 23 Wickets Fall On Day One

Mohammed Siraj got six wickets in a breathtakingly menacing morning spell but to his horror found India losing six wickets in a space of eleven balls in the final session before regaining the advantage against South Africa on a rivetting day one of the second Test in Cape Town. After Siraj's career-best 6/15 decimated South Africa for their lowest post-apartheid score of 55, India were 153 for 4 before losing six wickets without addition of single run in a space of 11 deliveries to end with a 98-run lead.

There were six Indian batters, who failed to open their accounts and one who remained not out also didn't trouble the scorer, making it a statistician's nightmare.

Lungi Ngidi (3/30) and Kagiso Rabada (3/38) got five of those six wickets keeping the lead below 100 and gaining the necessary psychological advantage as 23 wickets fell on the opening day.

South Africa were more cautious despite being aggressive as they scored 62 for three in their second innings at stumps to bring down the deficit to 36 runs. Aiden Markram (32 batting) looked solid in the middle.

The maximum number of wickets lost on Day 1 of a Test is 25 and that happened in an Ashes Test back in 1902.

Dean Elgar, in his last Test match, would like to forget that he got out twice in a day's play while Mukesh Kumar (2/0 and 2/25) was rewarded for consistently pitching the ball in right areas, getting enough away movement against southpaws.

Any chance of the match going into the third day looks remote.

On a Newlands track that offered steep bounce and would certainly come under the ICC match referee Chris Broad's radar, the red Kookaburra ball took off like jumbo jet from the length making it impossible for batters to survive.

Between shoulder blades to